Each year I think about and look for inspiration on how to make my classroom arrangement work better for students and our daily flow. Using trial and error, and research-based findings, I've learned that we can live (much better, in fact) without many common classroom items. Read below for a highlight list of my top 5 (for Friday) things I'm glad I've ditched in my room. Check out my Scholastic Top Teaching blog post on the same topic for full details, tips, tricks, and rationale behind my changes!

#2: OVERHEAD FLUORESCENT LIGHTING

#3: ONE, CENTRAL, HUGE CARPET

#4: INDIVIDUAL STUDENT DESKS

#5: MULTI-COLORED & PATTERNED, BUSY BULLETIN BOARDS

In my 12+ years as an educator, I’ve taught in four different school districts and four schools. The classrooms have been both mammoth and miniscule, new and old, and well maintained and dilapidated. Even when I stayed in the same school for four years, I had to change classrooms three times. Needless to say, I know how you feel as you prep your room for the new school year. And I’ve learned a lot about how to set up a stellar room without losing my mind. So, follow these steps to "Keep Calm and Carry On!"

// My Poor Husband... //

Let me start by singing the praises for my poor, sweet, hard-working hubby, Frank! {LOVE YOU!} This poor man has had to move me from room to room and between schools. On top of that, he has helped me makeover not ONE, but TWO classrooms from top to bottom. We're talking washing walls, floors, shelves, painting the ENTIRE ROOM, scraping goo, gunk, tape, and glue from every surface imaginable for 9+ hours in one room, and on and on. This type of work is my responsibility because it's my room...but he's always there right by my side to help, and I am beyond appreciative. I probably don't express it enough...but THANK YOU, hon! I couldn't do any of this without you!!

// My Top 10 Tips for Extreme Classroom Makeovers //

I originally created this Top 10 List for for my first two Scholastic Top Teaching blog posts. I had just been hired at my current school and had a major classroom renovation at hand. Check out the two original posts chronicling my journey from "Scene from SAW" to my current classroom. Within these posts, you'll see my top 10 tips for keeping your cool as you prep for school:

Imagine the possibilities.

Start with a clean slate.

Lay on a base coat.

Keep function foremost.

Start styling.

Be fabulously frugal.

"Date" your design.

Pace yourself.

S.O.S.

When disaster strikes....

// Take Time to Tweak //

Over the past three years, I moved three times: one grade each year. I started with second graders as a new hire, the next year I switched from second to third, and then last year from third to fourth. Each year I tailored my decor to a new theme that correlated to our curricular content. (Yes, it was an exhausting whirlwind, but it was also a lot of fun!)This year I’m parked firmly in fourth grade (LOVE fourth grade!) for the third year in a row, and this gives me the opportunity to continue to tweak, add to, and omit items to improve our classroom environment. Check out my top three classroom setup tweaks from last year and a sneak peek at new retro road trip items that I’m adding to my decor!See my "tweak your room" Scholastic post by clicking the image to the left!

// Take a Sneak Peek! //

Our school doesn't start back up until August 25th, so I'm NOWHERE NEAR READY to start tweaking, cleaning, or redecorating my space just yet {plus...summer camp has taken over our school, so we're not even allowed in our rooms at this point}. Check out the pics below for a sneak peak of my room and tweaks from last year. I'll be making updates, changes, and {hopefully} improvements before the kiddos return. When it's all ready to go....I'll be SURE to give you the full tour: photos and PERISCOPE live broadcast!!! For now...take a trip down Route 66 in my 4th grade classroom.

// What'swiththe Retro Road trip Theme? //

I LOVE THEMES...party themes...classroom themes...you name it. Closer to my BTS time, I'll fill you in on my theme rationale and details. The one thing I have learned in over a decade of teaching every grade K-4 is to make your THEME RELEVANT....not just cute. Now, please know I'm a "have your cake and eat it, too" kind of girl, so I don't like to sacrifice cuteness. I just put the priority of my theme on how it ties to our standards, goals, etc. for the grade level. Check back soon {subscribe via email for auto updates!!} to hear me dish on successful theme planning and implementation!

Be an IEMD INSIDER!

It's been an amazing week, and I'm going to replay some quick snapshots for you "5 for Friday-style" hosted by Doodle Bugs Teaching! Can it REALLY be August 1st already?!?! {#sayitaintso} If this past week is any indication, the last days of summer are going to be awesome...but fly by fast {too fast, really!}. I hope you're soaking up every last, delicious drop of summer like we're trying to do!

// Take a Peek @ My Week //

// Crazy over my First #Slantbox //

For a while now, I had been seeing pics of something called a #Slantbox / #Slantboxexchange floating all over Instagram. WHAT IS THIS SLANTBOX?!?!, I wondered. So, in true Lindsey fashion, I had to search and find the answer. Oh boy, I found a treasure box of goodies {literally} with this one! Read ALL ABOUT IT over at Jameson's blog, Lessons With Coffee. She has an entire website page dedicated to the who/what/when/where/why of all things Slantbox & even provides rules {which are both needed, & kind of fun}. Yesterday we were *MATCHED* with our giving/receiving partners for the August Slantbox, themed "Hometown Pride." I'm beyond psyched about my 2 August matches and cannot wait to see the fun & friendships that come from this exchange! Check out the details and sign up for September's exchange! Take a gander at my two matches below!

// Chicago Teacher-Blogger Stylish Soiree //

It's only 2 days and counting until the Chicago teacher-blogger brunch @ Bellwether hosted by Darling Dressed Duo and Sequins Are a Girl's Best Friend! You can read all about this event on my previous blog posts (1) (2). This event is sure to be fabulous, fashionable, and have fantastic food! I'll be the crazy lady snapping copious quantities of photos {including other people's food--haha!} and can't wait to post more in detail next week. Stay tuned for details about the chic venue, scrumptious food, & fantastic friends!

PS--Everyone attending will get chic teacher stationery from It's Elementary, My Dear! Take a sneak peek at the luxe loot they'll be receiving below! Who doesn't love some swanky S.W.A.G?!?

// Congrats, Meredith...Sign up to WIN BIG! //

Hip, hip, HOORAY for Meredith over at Creativity to the Core! She's celebrating & thankful for a HUGE milestone of 1,500 followers on Instagram! I'm joining a whole crew of other teachers supporting her success by donating goodies for a super sweet giveaway! One lucky winner will win ALL of the goodies below, PLUS COUTURE TEACHER STATIONERY from It's Elementary, My Dear! The picture above is just a SNEAK PEEK of the glittery goodness the lucky winner will receive from me. Take a gander below at the glorious gathering of giveaways galore {say that 5 times fast} from over 30 teachers who have donated downloads, goods, store credit, & more! // See the entire post for more details & ENTER TO WIN! //

// Getting Ready to Get My BARGAIN On! //

This week I linked up with Mrs. D’s Cornerand Miss V’s Busy Bees for the B2S Weekly Linky Party to share my love of all things classroom decor! If you check out the post, you'll learn that for the first time in 3 years, I'm not switching grade levels! This means, I get to keep my existing "Retro Road Trip" decor. Instead of starting from scratch {which is fun, but exhausting & quite expensive}, I get to tweak my design to perfect our classroom environment. And so....it begins. My bargain hunting bonanza. Already, I've begun scoping out the usual suspects: Wal-mart, Hobby Lobby, Goodwill, Dollar Tree, and the local party supply store. Check out some of the super bargain finds I'm keeping my eye on for purchase & projects, & check back for more on my end-of-summer bargain hunting for both school & fashion finds!

Tables & chairs @ Wal-mart

Vintage storage @ Hobby Lobby

// Goodwill Goodies that Need Some LOVE //

I haven't purchased any of these, but snapped pics of my fave finds from Goodwill when I perused last week. Should I get these? They range from $6 - $12, but I have to figure out if they're worth the repair effort! Let me know your thoughts in the comments!

Nesting tables for working around the room & retro high top chair for whole group lessons @ Goodwill

// This week With My Best Buddy //

It's been a week jam-packed full of fun with my little buddy! Thanks to Instagram, I'm more accountable for documenting these sweet, precious memories. It's so nice to be able to reflect on all of our summer time fun!

// I've Been Cooking Up Something Special //

You Could win this ENTIRE Stationery Set...& MORE!

// Want to win My STATIONERY & MORE? //

Hip, hip, HOORAY for Meredith over at Creativity to the Core! She's celebrating & thankful for a HUGE milestone of 1,500 followers on Instagram! I'm joining a whole crew of other teachers supporting her success by donating goodies for a super sweet giveaway! One lucky winner will win ALL of the goodies below, PLUS COUTURE TEACHER STATIONERY from It's Elementary, My Dear! The picture above is just a SNEAK PEEK of the glittery goodness the lucky winner will receive from me. Take a gander below at the glorious gathering of giveaways galore (say that 5 times fast) from over 30 teachers who have donated downloads, goods, store credit, & more!

// Look at all of this LOOT! //

How do you get your hands on this TREASURE CHEST? Follow the awesome bloggers using the Rafflecopter to the left. For each follow, you are given 1 entry into the drawing! Meredith at Creativity to the Core will announce the winner at the end of the week. Good luck, & congrats again to Meredith!

I must admit, classroom decor is one of my {absolute} FAVORITE back to school rituals! As a wannabe graphic/interior designer & lover of party planning, classroom makeovers are just my cup of tea! So, I’m linking up with Mrs. D’s Corner and Miss V’s Busy Bees for the B2S Weekly Linky Party to share my love of all things classroom decor!

Having taught EVERY grade, K-4 {Whew...makes me tired just thinking about it!} it seems like I’ve used nearly every decor theme under the sun. Along the way, there’s been a LOT of elbow grease, paint, decluttering, moving, money spent...I mean, “invested,” and bushels of fun {just don’t ask my husband about that…}. Some rooms were at new schools, move-in ready, and still smelling of new carpet and fresh paint. Others...well, if I’m honest some of the classrooms started out looking like something from “Saw” or “Last House on the Left.” In the end, it’s an amazing feeling to create a space that’s pleasing to you and both appealing and brain friendly to your students. After all, we practically LIVE in our rooms for the majority of each day during the school year. I want to LOVE the space I’m in each day, and aim for my students to feel the same!

// The BIG 10: Extreme Classroom Makeover //

I had a blast chronicling my many adventures in classroom moves, cleaning, painting, and decorating in two Scholastic Top Teaching blog posts titled The Big 10: Extreme Classroom Makeover: Part 1 & Part 2. Check out the posts for tips, tricks, and techniques to help you live by my Big 10 rules for classroom makeovers as you go back to school this year!

Imagine the possibilities.

Start with a clean slate.

Lay on a base coat.

Keep function foremost.

Start styling.

Be fabulously frugal.

Date your design.

Pace yourself.

Send out an S.O.S.

What to do when disaster strikes!

// Evolution of a CLassroom //

See my classroom evolve over the past few years, prior to teaching 4th grade and implementing a "Retro Road Trip" themed decor!

// Themed Classroom Decor Galore //

Anyone who knows me knows I LOVE a good theme. I don’t care what I’m planning (parties, outfits, home decor, you name it), I’m a bit of a theme addict. When I was first teaching, my theme choices and content primarily revolved around interest, cutesy-value, and other such fun factors. As I’ve grown as a teacher, I’ve learned to appreciate the value in two very important things involved in classroom environment: 1) Decor tied to curriculum content 2) Decluttering & creating a non-overstimulating environment.

While you’re there, download these darlingFREEBIES I created to support classroom design with executive functioning in mind that are both cute and functional {#winning}.

I like to have my cake and eat it, too, so I want my classroom design to be both cute and facilitate learning. Since the regions of the United States play a major role in most of our curricular content, both our academic and classroom decor is themed as a “Retro Road Trip.” From the welcome pack students receive from me in the summer, to classroom decor, and graphics used throughout, students are immersed in a retro road trip experience. Take a peek at tidbits from my decor and setup last year, and read on to see NEW ADDITIONS {bargain finds!} for this year’s design!

// Keep on Cruisin' //

For the past 3 years, I moved one grade each year: new hire starting in 2nd, 2nd to 3rd, and then 3rd to 4th. Each year I tailored my decor to a new theme that correlated to our curricular content. {Yes, it was an exhausting whirlwind, but it was also a lot of fun!} This year I’m parked firmly in 4th {LOVE 4th grade!} and this gives me the opportunity to tweak, add to, and omit items that I feel would make our classroom environment better. For me, that means FUN raiding of Hobby Lobby and Goodwill clearance sections! So far, I’ve scored BIG TIME at Hobby Lobby. Many of the authentic vintage signs I wanted last year are now on 80% off, and so I felt like I was practically STEALING them as I loaded my cart up and hauled them to my vehicle. Take a peek at the revved up loot I’ll be adding this year to my decor!